Habitat selection by the Texas tortoise in a managed thornscrub ecosystem
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Authors: R. T. Kazmaier, E. C. Hellgren, and D. C. Ruthven
Date: 2001
Journal: Journal of Wildlife Management
Volume: 65
Number: 4
Pages: 653-660
Summary of Methods: Kazmaier et al. looked at the effects of cattle grazing on the habitat selection of the Texas tortoise. Tortoises preferred areas of multiple canopy layers of woody brush, while avoiding riparian areas and old-fields (grasslands). Riparian areas lacked herbaceous vegetation and were higher in predators. Old fields, or grasslands, were avoided due to lack of mobility with the increase of grass and the lack of canopy cover. However, the authors conclude that mechanical means of converting shrublands into grasslands for increased cattle forage would have little effect on the Texas tortoise because most of the converted fields are quickly turning back into a thicker shrub habitat.
Article Summary / Main Points: None
Vegetation Types:
MLRA Ecoregions:
Agrovoc Control Words: Riparian zones Rangelands Wildlife
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Experimental Research
Keywords: brush invasion, gopherus berlandieri, grazing, habitat selection, shrublands, texas tortoise
Annotation: None
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